Myself and I
by Kecker
Summary: A young and virtuous Elizabeth of the sky has an intimate encounter with the only other individual who really understands what it is like to be her... a bloodied and remorseful Elizabeth of the sea.


There was nothing quite like waking up to the morning sun in Columbia. Really nothing was like it; according to Elizabeth's books, there was no other sun to be found for... well a really long and incomprehensible distance. Up here though, in the city among the clouds, it felt like only a thin layer of sky separated Columbia from that big beautiful ball of beauty. On a fortunate morning, there may be little interference from clouds, and all one had to do was to look out the window and feel like the sun was extending out a hand in the form of exceptionally bright light and touching them personally.

Such was this particular morning; as Elizabeth felt herself come to; the soft cushion of her pillow the first thing for her to feel. The second thing was a slight pressure on her closed eyelids; she knew exactly was it was, as it was likely what had brought her to. Just by her bed was the window, well it was more of a layered porthole; she had drawn the curtains over it, but through it she could still make out a thin but prominent ray of sunlight peeking through to lay upon her visage. She lifted her head, followed by the rest of her body into an upright position to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

As soon as she was properly awake, Elizabeth made the effort to get herself up from her bed. On some mornings she was inclined to simply lay there, content in the fact of having little to do, but on this particular morning she felt unusually active. Standing in the middle of her bedroom in her sleepwear, the first thing she thought to do was draw open the curtains to fill the room with a little more light. A decision she almost immediately came to regret as her room was emblazoned with far more light than she was accustomed to. One of the many _benefits_ from being up in the sky so close to the sun it seemed.

The clock struck the tenth hour. She imagined that was a sign that she had awoken early, rather than late; she liked to make up her own mind on such matters, since there was nobody around to actually tell her the correct way of things. It made her look smart. Well she thought it did, there was nobody around to tell her otherwise.

Taking a moment to let out a long and winding yawn (she was unsure if it was a sign that she was up early or late), Elizabeth set about her day. One of the many perks to being alone all one's life with no other human beings to communicate with was that nobody could tell her what to do. Elizabeth was her own boss; it was better to focus on the positives of such a life as opposed to the negatives, of which there were plenty. But Elizabeth was not one to let such thoughts get to her; it was not the best feeling in the world.

Her morning routine passed by without incident and surprise; she found herself forgetting how she got from one point to the other. There was washing, getting dressed, making a breakfast for herself, doing a bit of reading on some such topic, it was all very orderly and thus monotonous. That was the whole point to it, as it had been for as long as she could remember; sometimes on certain days she might try and mix up her routine, she might try and get dressed before washing herself, but that often ended up in a drenched dress and undergarments. But it was something at least... and as she remembered, she was not completely without ways to entertain herself.

As it was that afternoon, when she found herself sitting in one of the small and quiet rooms, staring at a painting. A painting of what she understood to be a stone road, by an embankment, by a calm river. What made it alluring to her however, was the rain depicted in the painting; a fierce, yet calming scene at the same time. This tower of hers could get so quiet at times; Elizabeth appreciated quiet, but she also appreciated noise and excitement when she could get it. Columbia was nice and serene in the sunlight, but it was also an exceptional scene in the middle of a thunderstorm. Lucky for Elizabeth then, that she would not have to wait for a thunderstorm to come to Columbia when she could go to one instead.

She focused on the painting. The kind of focus that came naturally to her, but felt unnatural as well, like it was something unique and to her and her alone. Slowly, she could feel the quiet of the room become a quiet in of itself, like she was floating away, separating herself from it. Then came the part she always looked forward to; there was the painting in front of her, and there was the longing inside of her. The there was the painting in front of her, and there was the longing in front of her too. Elizabeth reached out with her fingers and pulled open something that was not meant to be there, yet was there for her.

The quiet of the room was no longer there, for it had been replaced by the low but audible sound of rain falling around her and unto her. There was Elizabeth, and where she was was not the small room, but the road by the river; she could feel the dirt beneath her, the wind blowing through her and the rain all around her. It was times like this when Elizabeth was glad that she was who she was, where she was, and how she was. She would not change a thing if it meant forgetting about this.

But then, she reeled her head back, and was once again sitting on a stool in a quiet room observing a painting, albeit very wet. The spell had disappeared as soon as it had appeared. She could not help but feel disappointed, yet took some small comfort knowing that she could experience it again, should she choose to.

Elizabeth sat in the dining area of her little abode later that evening, with nothing but her dinner, a book and her thoughts to occupy her. Her humble guardian had just came by to deliver the usual things that kept her content; the pair had little to really say to one another, for one thing, she was a young human woman and he was a giant bird like contraption. Another thing was that Elizabeth was having one of those days; the kind where things became unusually quiet and still, forcing her to stop and think about whether this was to be her life. She expected that there was probably far more to her than most people, and yet she had no contact with anyone else her entire life so she hardly knew exactly just what other people were like.

The book before her was all about people, more specifically about relationships between two persons, more specifically about the itineracy that spawned from such relationships between people. It proved a most curious read for young Elizabeth, as well as a bitter one. She pondered her peculiar ability to fabricate and explore other realities and briefly thought of how such a thing might be useful in seeking out others to facilitate such relationships, yet despite her past attempts, nothing really came of it, and she always found herself coming back to her tower. Always back to this prison of hers in the sky.

The book had interesting pictures with interesting text. Elizabeth had in fact read this book before; she had most likely read all the books she could get her hands on. This one in particular was intriguing to read because it stirred something within her; something primal deep inside that felt almost alien, but more familiar than the ability to indulge in other realities. It was enough for her to conjure up certain fantasies in her mind; thoughts of indulging in such acts with another, male or female, she did not have any preferences really, she would simply be glad for the company. It caused her to become hot and stressed below her dress.

Elizabeth knew how easy it would be to simply move her hands down and indulge herself until the feeling went away, but she felt it would not be the satisfaction she was looking for. There was another longing, an urge for there simply to be someone, anyone to be there for her; someone who knew her and knew what it was like to be in her situation. Someone to touch, as another person and, as a companion. But there never was...

Elizabeth found herself pacing around the library after dinner. It was frustrating to be in such a state of longing with nothing to do about it. It was frustrating to be someone who knew exactly what they wanted yet had no way of getting to it. Perhaps most especially, it was frustrating to be someone who had access to a particular set of powers that acted as a form of wish fulfilment, yet to have no way of using them to the end she sought.

Soon she stopped pacing and found herself in front of the biggest window in her tower, with the entirety of Columbia open before her. In the dark evening light, the city lit up in a way that made her heart skip. That was usually the case; here though, she wanted to be somewhere else, somewhere where she might feel more content to be. Perhaps if she focused exceptionally well, she might be able to turn it into something more pleasing to look at.

Elizabeth took a good long look at the city of Columbia before her. A really good hard look; there was so much about it from where she was looking, and yet so little, if there was any sense to that. Elizabeth looked as hard as she imagined such an activity would take; she knew not what she wanted to see necessary, just that she wanted to see _something_, anything... anyone.

She saw the city before her, in all its splendour. But then, there was something else, something that was not the city of Columbia, at least she thought she saw it, it was difficult to tell from her perspective. Elizabeth closed her eyes; in her mind, she pictured a city, a city that was so very different from Columbia, and yet so very much the same. She took a deep breath, and was surprised when she found the scent of something that did not belong in her tower filling her lungs. Something like the smell of the sea.

Elizabeth opened her eyes, and then she _opened_ her eyes. There was the city of Columbia, and then there was another city, both similar and different. She was leaning more on the different side as her vision was filled with the unfamiliar place. Elizabeth had read of the cities on the surface below, but she was fairly certain that none of them were located at the bottom of the ocean. At least that was the impression she was getting from this particular sight. Her vision was filled with a hue of blue and green; she had to brace herself for fear that she might slip in and suffer a quick and unpleasant death at the bottom of the sea. The city before her felt as alive as Columbia did, and while she was elated to be observing such a sight, she was unsure as to what she was looking for in this particular place.

As if to answer her, Elizabeth felt something prod at her from the back of her mind. Some kind of indiscernible feeling, almost like she was trying to perform some kind of subconscious activity. Elizabeth had no choice but to simply stand there and let her mind work for her; she certainly did not want to bring that city into her tower, nor throw herself into it.

Suddenly, she felt a development in the stirring in her thoughts. Elizabeth felt herself reaching out... and for what felt like the first time in her life, she felt another mind reaching right back out to her. It was an incomprehensible feeling, but it felt very real to her. Suddenly, Elizabeth was feeling very confident in her abilities right about now. She observed the strange city, and felt herself working her mind. Slowly, in the weird way that she did it, she gelt herself reaching out and grabbing ahold of some unknown quantity, and then slowly but surely, pulling back to deposit it safely within her own realm, without bringing in the entire city in the ocean along with it. It suddenly became clear to her that she had forgotten to breathe...

Elizabeth let out a gasp of air, and was immediately drenched by some heavy water, nearly knocking her off her feet but she managed to maintain her composure. Elizabeth took a moment to accept what had occurred, gasping for breath, feeling like she had been thrown into an ocean. She then took stock of her bearings; the city was now Columbia again, and the room was definitely in a state, but perhaps the most intriguing thing was that she appeared to have brought something along aside from the seawater. Or rather, she had brought along someone...

Only a few feet from her, was another human. Elizabeth was sure of it, she was not so removed from the world that she did not know what another woman looked like. She had to take a moment to let it sink in, allow herself time to come to terms with just what she had done. Now Elizabeth had brought things in from other realities before, but never on such a scale as this, an entire human being lying face down almost peacefully on the wet surface. It suddenly dawned on Elizabeth that said human might not be entirely conscious, but thankfully, she started to stir, putting her at ease, yet also putting her nerves at edge as she discovered that she had no idea what to say in an event such as this.

The other woman groaned, as her head and hands began to move. With what looked like some considerable effort, she forced her hands to raise her upper body of the floor to look around. It was only when she turned to look at Elizabeth that both parties had some kind of inner epiphany to themselves.

She looked a considerable lot like Elizabeth, aside from her clothes of course. The hair was more fine, though it looked like it had been through much, in fact her whole body looked like she had taken quite the beating. She had a bruise on her cheek and her clothes were quite ragged; yet despite that, there was some strange sort of beauty to be found to the strange woman. She had a look about her as she beheld Elizabeth, like she instantly recognised who she was; yet such a thing was surely impossible. At least that's what Elizabeth thought to herself, as despite having never seen another human being close up before, there was an air of familiarity about this particular one, that extended beyond her merely looking like her.

"Huh. Didn't think that would actually work." The woman remarked.

The air of familiarity became even more prominent now to Elizabeth, as this woman happened to sound an awful lot like her, sounding like she had gone through some serious, what was the word for it? Maturity.

"Umm..." Elizabeth stuttered to herself, at a complete loss for words.

The strange yet familiar woman slowly got up, extending a hand outwards in an act of cautious warning.

"Easy there..." She spoke with concern. "Believe me, I know this is far more to you than it is to me. Believe me I know."

"I don't..." Elizabeth struggled to form a cohesive answer. "Who... are you?"

The woman laughed weakly. "I guess I shouldn't have expected you to get it right away. But you can probably figure that out on you own."

"You look... do I know you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah you do." The woman confessed. "And I... I know you quite well. Maybe even more than you know yourself."

Then the pieces formed together finally in Elizabeth's head, and she found it hard to believe she had not come to sooner.

"You're me." She said. "You're me. You... are me."

"That's right. I'm you." The woman went, or rather _she_ went. "I am in fact you. From the future. Or somewhere else entirely. I don't really know myself."

Elizabeth took a moment to accept a few things. The first, that she was actually taking to another human being after so long; the second, that said human being was in reality another version of herself; the third, that this version of herself was from the future. The possibilities that this opportunity presented were growing numerous in her mind. She had to catalogue her questions and decide which one she would ask first. Eventually, she came to a conclusion.

"You've got a regular little finger?!" She pointed out.

The other... _her_ had a look of curiosity on her face in response to that question, before turning to her hand, which did indeed have a very ordinary little finger, as opposed to the irregular thimble Elizabeth had over her own.

"Ah yes, that." She noted. "There's a perfectly good explanation for that."

"I imagine there's a great deal of explanations to get through." Elizabeth noted.

"I suppose there is." The other her went. "I don't suppose we could discuss it over a drink or two."

"Of course yes! That would be the sensible thing to do." She went, becoming flustered at the thought of having a guest to entertain for the evening. "Would you like something to eat?"

"That would be nice." _Elizabeth_ went. "Lead the way."

"Okay." She acknowledged.

Elizabeth was about to lead her other self to the dining area, but first there was one thing she had to do. She closed to gap between them and reached out with a hand to touch her cheek. Her other self stepped back slightly, before accepting it.

"You're really there." Elizabeth went. "You're real."

The other her smiled. "Yes I'm here. And believe me, I'm glad to be."

Elizabeth remained with her hand on her other self's cheek for a while yet, gently stroking. She was unsure if this was the correct etiquette to have in front of others, but right now she did not really care; she was quite confident an encounter with one's alternate self was normal procedure anyway. The other Elizabeth did not seem to mind either way, in fact she looked like she was quite enjoying it.

"Well anyway." Elizabeth said at last, deciding to get a move on with the task at hand.

* * *

><p>Elizabeth had never seen another human being eat and drink before, but there was something strange about watching the other Elizabeth feasting as though she had not had a meal in an age that seemed captivating to her. The closest thing seemed to be looking in a mirror, almost observing herself act out her life from a different perspective, which she supposed was actually the case. There was a great deal of questions she had to ask of her elder self; in truth there was a great deal of questions she would ask of anyone, let alone another version of her. She really wanted to ask them all at once, but merely looking at her other self, she could tell that she had gone through quite a bit of duress. At the very least, she could allow her some rest and a meal first before asking away.<p>

"I really did not expect to eat again." The older Elizabeth said after some time.

"I can't imagine." She said.

"No you wouldn't." The elder Elizabeth mused.

"If it's okay to ask... I... I would really like to know how you came to be... well here." She decided to ask at last.

The elder Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Yes I can imagine you would be quite curious to know. In truth, I am not sure how it happened. Events have rendered me unable to access tears unfortunately."

"Tears? Is that what you call them?" Elizabeth went, catching on.

"Well you had to get it from somewhere." The elder one nurtured to herself.

"So you said... you said you couldn't access the err, tears before. How exactly." She continued.

"I don't know if it would be wise to tell you of your future." Her elder remarked. "There may be severe consequences, knowing us Elizabeths."

"Right. Of course there would be." Elizabeth noted, quite disappointed.

"But if it's any consolation." Her other self went. "You won't always be without a normal pinkie."

"That is a plus." She acknowledged. "Wait. So that means I won't always be here. In this tower."

"...I suppose it does." The elder admitted.

Elizabeth became quite intrigued. "So it does get better for me. I didn't think that was possible... oh thank you."

"Yeah." Her elder noted, with a touch of bitterness.

"Oh... so I guess it isn't all sunshine after this though." She added, noticing her other self's bleak change of tone.

"Something like that." The Elizabeth went.

She had become quite muted and somber again. It was not something Elizabeth was keen to look at; she had never anticipated what would a face to face encounter with another version of her would be like, but she liked to think it was be a little more cheerful.

"You're very pretty." She asked perkily. "Even if I do say so myself."

The elder Elizabeth laughed faintly.

"Thanks." She said. "You're not... bad yourself."

"Did you pick that up from that city in the ocean?" Elizabeth asked, in an attempt to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah." She replied. "Columbia was too... old fashioned I guess."

"Must be some future then." Elizabeth went. "Would like to go to Paris one day."

At that, her elder self's face turned worrisome again, and she turned her gaze, outside the window. It made Elizabeth bleak herself yet again. She was sincerely hoping her future to be more livelier than this.

"So..." She started again. "You must have came here for a reason right?"

Her elder self turned her gaze back to her. She still looked quiet and uncertain.

"Could we go somewhere quiet?" She asked.

"Sure sure." Elizabeth went, stepping up to lead her to the one place she considered private in an already private place.

The two walked in silence throughout the tower, the younger Elizabeth always looking back to her elder self to see if there was any change in her worrisome visage. There was not. Shortly before they arrived at her bedroom, Elizabeth noted her elder self standing a small distance behind, focusing on a mirror in the hallway.

"What's the matter?" She asked. "Checking your appearance?"

Her other self was eyeing the mirror unusually suspiciously. There must have been something else she was seeing that the younger one did not.

"It's not what's in front of it that concerns me." She went. "It's what's behind it."

Elizabeth was confused. "I don't understand. What would be behind it?"

Her elder self turned to her. Elizabeth could tell there was something going on in her mind. It made her curious, and a little bit intimidated.

"It's just a mirror." Elizabeth went, her voice trembling a little.

The elder turned back to the mirror.

"Yeah. Yeah it is." She said after a while. "Forget it. It's nothing."

"...Okay then." Elizabeth went, turning back to the door to her bedroom.

It was comforting to be inside her bedroom at night. The tower could get quite spooky in the dark and silence. But now, with another beside her, Elizabeth felt quite safe and content. Of course, this person knew what it was like to be in such a place at night. The elder Elizabeth made her way over to the window, and stood in silence gazing out.

"I haven't seen Columbia in peace for a while." She mused to herself.

"It's nice don't you think?" Elizabeth remarked. "When there's no clouds, everything looks so bright and... what would be an appropriate word. Beautiful?"

"Yeah. It does." The elder noted.

The younger Elizabeth then noticed that she was looking at her when she made that statement, instead of out towards the city. The elder then turned her gaze elsewhere, to a pile of covers and pillows arranged in the middle of the room.

"What is this exactly?" She asked.

"Oh that." Elizabeth went. "Just a little something I put together for a place to lie on and read books. Don't you remember doing that?"

"I must have forgotten." She remarked.

She then made her way over to that cozy retreat and settled down. Elizabeth was intrigued by this display; she would have rather sat on the bed, for it seemed a more appropriate place to have a discussion, but she decided to humour her other self and sat down besides her.

"So err, what was it we were going to discuss again?" She had remind herself.

"I was going to explain why I had come here?" Her elder self reminded her.

"Oh yes." She said. "Well. Whenever you're ready."

The elder Elizabeth sighed deeply. Evidently this was difficult for her.

"Right. So." She began half-heartedly. "I'm not entirely sure why I came here... no, that's not true."

She breathed out in frustration, before falling down on one on the pillows.

"You can't begin to imagine how troublesome it is to have the power you have." She remarked. "If I had the choice, I'd wouldn't want them."

"You know why I have this ability, right?" Elizabeth asked intently.

"Right." She noted.

"But you won't tell me." She added.

"I don't know what would happen if you even everything about you before it happened." The elder Elizabeth said. "But, let me ask you a question?"

"Oh. Okay." She said.

"What do you want out of life?" The elder Elizabeth posed.

"Umm. I think..." She went. "Answers to my situation. The ability to go outside. Paris. And... people to talk to."

"What kind of people?" Elizabeth probed her further.

"Nice people." She replied formally. "Friends you know. And the other kind... you know, the intimate kind."

"Yeah. That I understand." The elder Elizabeth went. "My younger self, I think I can say for certain what I want now."

"Well go on." The younger Elizabeth prodded her.

She took a deep breath. "All that time I spent in that tower. This tower. I desired the outside and others. And then when I got out, everything went by so quickly, I barely got the chance to just stop and appreciate everything. Now I am at a stage where I can't say for certain if I'll ever experience a simply life. I'd like to be with someone who really understands me. And wouldn't you know it, everyone I've ever known have all found ways to leave me."

It did not soothe Elizabeth to hear of this. Her elder self was surely speaking of her own future, in a very vague, but unnerving understanding way.

"Which has left me alone." She found herself continuing. "And the person who knows me is myself. Is you."

"What are.. what. What are getting at?" Elizabeth asked, her voice quite weak.

"I don't know if I will ever get the chance to be intimate with another in my life." The elder her went. "So I briefly wished to be elsewhere, with the one one who really understood me. And then you opened that tear."

She suddenly reached out and grabbed ahold of her younger self's hand.

"What are you..." Elizabeth went.

"Elizabeth. My younger. My self. My own." Her elder implored her. "Can I have you for one night?"

Elizabeth needed a moment to register what her elder self had requested of her. It was not a request one would normally make of another oneself. There was some sense and even a little intrigue in the idea, but it was behind a wall of confusion and muted disgust.

"Why would you..." She began.

"Because I may never have a chance like this again!" Her elder self exclaimed.

"Well it's just that... it's all very sudden, don't you think?" She remarked.

"Is it?" The elder Elizabeth retorted. "How did we reach across multiple realities to get to this point?"

"Well I won't deny I've been quite curious as of late but..." She was trying to rationalise this. "But is this even proper etiquette?"

"There is no etiquette when confronted with your own self." The elder Elizabeth was always one step ahead. "The fact that we are even talking to each other is a miracle of sorts."

"Right well. Still. It's a bit much to lay on your younger self." Elizabeth almost pleaded.

Her elder self adjusted the hold on her hand. Quite gently, she held Elizabeth, and with her other free arm, she took ahold of the other hand so they were both facing one another.

"Please Elizabeth." The elder went. "Will you do this of me?"

She was looking very intently into Elizabeth's eyes, making it very difficult for her to look away.

"Oh. I suppose an event like this doesn't come very often does it?" The younger relented. "If you're gentle. I could be fun."

"I promise I will be as caring as you deserve." The elder reassured her.

Elizabeth laughed, quite reassured. "Okay then."

She reassumed looking her counterpart in the eyes. Though she was quite assured in her hands, her heart was still beating quite fierce. The other Elizabeth on the other hand, looked almost serene; she had likely fantasised about this moment, never actually expecting it, but prepared for the eventuality nonetheless. She leaned in close towards the younger Elizabeth, their faces a few inches apart; she one was quite unsure of how to proceed, that the elder could see. In another effort to ease her naive self, she led her younger's hand up and placed it on her face. The elder Elizabeth felt the touch a comforting feel; her counterpart managed a faint smile as she was put at ease. That was when she leaned in for the kiss.

To her surprise, the younger Elizabeth did not offer any resistance or act like she was quite surprised when their lips met. Evidently she was preparing for this, as was the elder; the taste of each other was intriguing. The younger did not know much about how to be properly receptive so Elizabeth the elder did a little prodding. She pulled away, giving her counterpart a relieving look before gently taking her head and pushing their lips back together. The younger stirred her hand on the elder's head, letting it drop slightly to fondle absentmindedly with her counterpart's own hand. Again did the elder pull back, keeping her hold easy before leaning in, as her younger slowly became more receptive to her movements.

"This is... wow." The younger Elizabeth exclaimed quietly after a while.

"It's sad to think about it." The elder replied. "This is my first time entertaining another."

"Huh. Now how's that for a paradox. It's my first two." She remarked.

"Hadn't thought of it that way." The elder Elizabeth noticed with glee.

The two remained holding each other and gently kissing for a while. The younger's nerves were quite settled, and an intense excitement had arisen within her, for she had grown quite eager to explore the possibilities that this situation offered.

"I've read about... well about." She tried to explain. "Intercourse and that... can we like..."

"We'll get to that, sweet." The elder reassured her. "Allow me."

With one hand on the back of her head, and the other close by her waist, the mature Elizabeth tenderly lay her younger counterpart down on the pillow beneath her. She took stock of her figure, and realised that clothing in her time was a slight more intricate than what she had grown used to. First, those boots had to go; she positioned herself accordingly and worked at the laces binding them.

"My dear, you shouldn't wear these all day you know." She remarked.

"Sorry. Hadn't considered what would happen you know." Her counterpart went naively.

Eventually, she had got both of them off, exposing the start of her bare legs. The younger Elizabeth giggled slightly as she stroked up and down, teasing her. The elder moved back up, dragging her fingers over her body until they rested upon the scarf around her neck. The younger did not object when she undid the material from her neck, as she bent down and kissed at her exposed flesh, again causing her to giggle. Elizabeth then moved to take the blouse of her counterpart, removing it with relative ease, but now faced with a far more difficult design entirely.

"Glad I don't have to wear a corset anymore." She remarked. "I think you'll like having this off. Now help me with it, would you dear?"

The younger Elizabeth smiled as she got up and moved to undo the laces on her back. She must have grown used to it by now, spending all this time in this tower. The elder patiently waited, growing hot beneath her skirt to see something she was well acquainted with, but from a different perspective. Eventually, her counterpart had finished and quite willingly stripped the last of the material away, exposing her breasts for her elder self to see.

"You're quite nice, Elizabeth." She mused.

"Even if you say so yourself." Her younger went coyly.

"True. True." She muttered, licking her lips in anticipation.

The elder stroked down her chest. The girl offered no resistance or aversion to this; somehow it made sense, it was herself after all. Elizabeth felt her pulse quicken once more as the fingers of her elder counterpart teased her nipples. She was gently pushed back again, as the elder Elizabeth moved forwards, so she was sitting over her. She looked awfully pretty at this angle, and now Elizabeth had grown very eager to see just what was under those fancy garments.

The elder Elizabeth bent down and kissed her upon the lips again, each other brushing their hair out of the way. She slowly started to make her way downwards, planting kisses on the rest of her body, eventually reaching her chest. Elizabeth's pulse elevated to new heights to feel her elder's mouth on her breasts, feeling her arms snake around her chest, lifting her slightly off the floor as she continued her ministrations. The elder's mouth broke off and the pair of them were kissing each other yet again; Elizabeth felt quite euphoric, and Elizabeth felt quite relieved. The elder laid her back down again and was playing with the helm of her dress.

"Wait!" She went breathlessly. "I err... I'd like to see you... your. Well you know."

The elder Elizabeth smirked, sitting up before turning to undo her buttons. Elizabeth watched, quite intrigued, and was surprised when her elder self revealed a very fancy kind of black brassiere underneath.

"Go on. This is a lot less easier to get off." She offered.

"Thanks, but I'd rather see you do it." Elizabeth said quite sultrily.

Her counterpart matched her mischievous look, her arms moving behind her back, with the fine item becoming loose and sliding off her soon after. The elder Elizabeth had an exceptional pair of breasts, the younger noticed; at first, she was jealous, but then she remembered that this is what she should expect of her own bosom, which lifted her spirits considerably. She could not help herself but reach up and hold them. They were truly lovely to feel, and the elder Elizabeth moaned in pleasure as she felt her younger self knead her assets with a peculiar display of skill.

"My my Elizabeth." She groaned. "You're quick to adapt, aren't you."

The girl said nothing but continued to massage and kiss all over her chest, overtaken by something primal. The elder Elizabeth soon managed to ease her off and lay her back down as she returned removing that dress from her, imagining her to be quite receptive to it now.

In one swift motion, she pulled the skirt off the younger Elizabeth's bare legs, leaving only her underwear left, a complex design reflective of the era. She was grateful to the city on the bottom of the ocean for having simplistic designs. She dwelt on that only briefly as she worked to undo the last of her younger self's ripe body.

Elizabeth gasped suddenly as the last of her clothing was pried away from her. She suddenly remembered that this was only a few hours ago, the only other soul she ever knew was a giant birdlike contraption; within an unusually short time of meeting another being she was now lying naked before was a peculiar thought indeed.

"Oh my... goodness." She went in alarm.

"It's alright. It's only me." Her elder self said assuringly, stroking her legs in a caring manner.

"It's... it's a little scary." She responded shrilly.

"You made a little mess." The elder Elizabeth said.

The younger Elizabeth gasped in silent alarm as she felt her counterpart touch her dripping core. Despite all they had indulged in thus far, she felt apprehension as this act was drawn lower.

"I don't know... if I'm ready for that." She uttered cautiously.

Her elder self looked up with a puzzled look. "You're feeling insecure. Perhaps it would be better if you attended to me for a bit."

Elizabeth was struck with intrigue, as the elder backed away, settling herself in front of her younger counterpart. From the angle, those breasts looked quite delectable to the young Elizabeth. A sudden boldness struck her, and she crawled over to the matured woman, up her covered legs to rest her head on her chest. She hoped the elder Elizabeth tasted as good as she felt, she silently wished, before taking her right breast in her mouth. A deeper moan of pleasure was her reward this time; to hear the elder Elizabeth expel desire was stroking the flames of her own desire within her. It was an intoxicating feeling; she simply could not get enough of her. It was a feeling she could get enough of; she wanted all of this exceptional woman's body.

She pulled her mouth free of her elder's breast. "I... love your body. I love you."

The elder Elizabeth had tears running down her face. "Take off my skirt."

Elizabeth was eager to sate her. She turned downwards, to the skirt and pulling it free from her waist with ease. Then there were the fancy stockings which she fiercely clawed at, wasting no time when they gave way to the mature Elizabeth's black underwear which was also removed with ease. She would have made a note of how accessible clothing had become, but she was too driven by her burning lust to notice. Finally, the pair of them were now both fully bare before each other. Elizabeth was eager to sate this ever growing desire within her; her counterpart evidently noticing.

"I imagine you're pretty wet by now." She said breathlessly.

"I... feel great." Elizabeth responded.

"That's good." She noted. "Now... would you... try and position yours on mine."

Elizabeth's interest peaked to see where they would be going with this. With some difficulty, she clambered atop her elder self, almost tangling their legs together, but managing to push their burning centres together. The contact alone was enough for Elizabeth to gasp out in muted ecstasy.

"Now... just- ah!" Her elder self went as her form was zapped with interest to feel her younger self pressed against her.

By now both the elder and younger were sweating profusely and moaning an incomprehensible mess of cries. It was pure wish fulfilment, it was utter fantasy. But damned if it did not feel great. Despite no personal experience in this kind of indulgence before, the pair were adapting to the situation. Eventually, after much grinding and yelling, the younger Elizabeth found herself climaxing for the first time in her life as she arched her back, her body going numb before crashing back down upon the stained covers. The matured Elizabeth soon followed, crying a final carnal cry as she too flopped down, her legs tangled with her younger self and her whole form heaving from her much delayed orgasm.

"Oh... err. Oh." The younger Elizabeth muttered. "That... it. Ow..."

"Are you... alright?" The elder asked with concern.

"It. It... hurts." She went breathlessly.

"It's okay love." Elizabeth answered with more composure than her more innocent self.

She untangled their bare legs and crawled up to lay besides her. The elder Elizabeth put her arm around the younger to cradle her.

"Wow. That was pretty naughty." Elizabeth said after composing herself, resting her head against her elder's chest.

"I think we've both became a little more woman now." The elder went.

"But women don't do that do they?" She asked in a childlike manner.

The elder Elizabeth laughed. "No. You know what I mean."

Elizabeth smiled and let her counterpart stroke her head while she recuperated. This was an immensely fatiguing activity she found, and she could not remember a time when she was more tired.

"It smells, kinda bad." She noted, the aftereffects of their lovemaking quite apparent.

"Yeah." Her elder responded.

The mature Elizabeth suddenly noticed her younger self's head flop down and her breathing become deep. Their activity had proven more strenuous on her body it seemed. Elizabeth gave her younger self a kiss on the forehead before standing up, and with surprising ease, picked her up and carried her to the bed by the window. She settled her down and pulled the covers up over her, before climbing in herself. The two of them had left the room, their clothes and their bodies in quite a state, but right now they were too exhausted to do anything about that for the night. It was not like anyone would come and check up on them. Elizabeth drew her arms around her younger self's chest and waist, easing her head into her neck, before sleep took her and she eased off.

Columbia was quite the sight in the dark hours of the morning. Elizabeth found herself awaking earlier than she had intended. She had quite forgotten what it was like to sleep in this silent tower; her young days seemed like a lifetime away. Yet, her young days were sleeping peacefully besides her, almost literally in another lifetime. The young Elizabeth turned in her sleep and found herself resting her head by the bare breasts of her counterpart. Elizabeth was in no hurry to have her younger self stop touching her breasts; her entire life had gone by without such an event, and it was likely to be that way until she died.

At that thought, Elizabeth was suddenly brought down from the fantasy she was indulging in, kissing and caressing her own flesh, and back into the reality of why she had come here in the first place. Perhaps, more specifically, why she now had to return to the city on the bottom of the ocean.

Elizabeth would have loved to stay here, if it could have ever feasibly worked. But there was no prolonging the inevitable any longer; by spending even a minute inside Columbia instead of where she was supposed to be, Elizabeth was on a break, a break from reality. She quite literally had her head in the clouds; and sooner or later she would have to return and face the music. She had made a quick detour from the road and would be returning to it soon enough. And at the end of the road: could she actually go through with it?

Elizabeth felt a single tear flee down her face. Her throat was twisting and she was struggling to keep her composure. Yet despite her efforts, she could not help herself but utter a small by prominent cry; more than enough to cause her younger self to stir and eventually waken.

"Mmm... Elizabeth. Gosh, what time is it?" She muttered to herself.

Elizabeth tried to stop herself from showing anymore than she was comfortable with, but her younger self was already growing aware of her state.

"Are you okay?" She asked with deep concern, noticing more tears down her face now.

"It's nothing." Elizabeth made an attempt to avert her gaze.

"Now I know that's not true." The girl picked up fairly easily. "Are you having regrets over what we did?"

"No. Not one bid." She said. "God. That was the best thing to happen to me for a while. It's... everything else."

"Funny. After an evening with you I've completely forgot about everything else." Elizabeth remarked.

"I believe that was my intention." She observed. "If I could just... forget about everything and just live this moment... well I probably wouldn't want that. But it would be very persuasive."

"You're changing the subject." Elizabeth picked up.

"Am I?" She said. "I hadn't noticed."

Elizabeth turned over so that she was laying atop her elder self, staring her in the eyes, with her hands on her breasts.

"Can I persuade you to tell me?" She went, tracing her fingers over her nipples.

Elizabeth felt an ecstasy start to brew within her. But it was muted by the reality of her situation; those nagging thoughts were no longer buried in the back of her mind, but quite at the forefront.

"Sorry love." She admitted, easing the younger Elizabeth off her chest. "I must ask you of something."

"Oh. Go on." Elizabeth went.

"Tomorrow. Or today..." She said. "When we're all nice and refreshed. I need you to open that tear again. I must return to that city."

Staring her counterpart straight in the face, Elizabeth could make out the process of her hopes and dreams being pulled out of the sky and pinned to the ground. She was still living in the clouds, as it was the only world she knew. Not the cold city her elder self came from.

"I suppose it was too much to hope that you were here to stay permanently." She said, her voice low and bleak.

"I would if I could." Elizabeth replied. "But I was never supposed to come here."

"And if I am unwilling to send you back?" She asked, in a faintly hopeful tone.

"There's already much at stake." Elizabeth answered. "I've already put someone in danger. I have to go back. It can't be any other way."

Again, she could see in her face where Elizabeth's heart dropped to new lows. It pained her to actually see her point of view; at least she had some interactions with others in a whole new world. Her younger self would be left to silence and isolation yet again.

"Hey." She said suddenly. "I never asked: what it the date?"

"The... date?" Elizabeth parroted. "It's... I believe it's the second of June. Nineteen twelve."

"Well my love." She went. "Let me tell you this: it get's better quite soon. And you have to be ready for it when it comes. It's going to be quite tough, believe me I know."

"Okay then." Elizabeth went, her voice a little better now. "But let me tell you something now. We still have a few hours till morning yet. How about we indulge in ourselves, for one last time, okay?"

"I... think I like the sound of that." She replied sultry.

The younger Elizabeth put her hand on her breasts, and bent down to kiss her...

* * *

><p>Elizabeth was nervous. She was actually quite glad that this was all she was feeling when she considered her elder counterpart; she could not even begin to imagine what must be going through her head, or rather <em>her<em> head. She went through her special ability, and tried to imagine how they related to her tower. Her elder self knew, but would not tell, and soon she would leave her, forever.

Of all the things she envisioned she would be doing with another in her lifetime, she never imagined she would be doing what they had done. It had came and was now coming to a close, and it made her bitter to realise that they never had the chance to do anything more. The only comfort she could find was in her counterpart's words that it would all get better soon. Yet even then, it brought her no comfort to know that she would be all by herself until it came.

"Elizabeth?" She heard the voice of her other self go.

The elder Elizabeth walked into the room. She looked even more alluring in her finery now that she had rested and washed herself. Elizabeth would have very much liked to see her breasts one more time.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

The girl motioned. "Sorry, what did you say? I was just imagining the two of us."

Elizabeth laughed. "I won't forget it for... for as long as I live."

Her tone had that same sombreness to it that brought the young Elizabeth no comfort at all.

"Okay. Let's go, shall we?" She asked.

The pair made their way to the point in the library where the bridge between their worlds had opened.

"I trust you will be able to reopen the tear with no difficulty?" The elder Elizabeth went.

"Umm... yeah." She went half-heartily.

Elizabeth turned to focus on the image of Columbia in the daylight sky before them. Sure enough, she was beginning to see the images in her mind of the city in the ocean, followed by the tingling of her ability. Elizabeth could also feel the eyes of her counterpart on her, imagining her to be eager for her to be getting on with it. The city in the ocean was becoming far more clearer in her head now, she could almost smell seawater. Elizabeth felt it appear in her mind; then she observed Columbia in the clouds, and saw the other city over it. She could feel her ability brewing, forming a link between the two cities. She reached out with her hands, and tore open at something in her mind.

And there it was. Shimmering right in front of them was the _tear_; looking like it did not belong, which of course it did not. Through it they could see the city in the ocean like it was on the other side of a looking glass.

"Well. I guess this is goodbye." Elizabeth said, turning to her elder self.

Her counterpart turned towards her, and to her surprise, her face was stained with tears. She was weeping silently watching her younger self work the tear.

"You... don't really want to go back." Elizabeth picked up.

"Who is truly ready to go to their death." The elder Elizabeth went.

Elizabeth supposed she should have picked up on that particular detail; her counterpart had been broadcasting it quite clearly by now. Still, to hear it clearly out of her mouth cast a spell of uneasiness upon Elizabeth to put it lightly.

"Let me tell you this..." Her elder self went. "When you get out. Live you life. For me."

Elizabeth took her elder's hands in her own. She leaned forward and kissed her; deeply and with as much care as one could give to someone who never felt the touch of love in her life. When their lips broke apart, the elder Elizabeth had a slightly hopeful look upon her visage.

"I'll try." Elizabeth said. "Now... go get 'em."

The elder Elizabeth nodded silently, before turning to the tear. She gave one last look to her counterpart, took a deep breath, and embraced the tear. There was a slight flash of light as the tear distorted to accommodate her. Elizabeth then found herself closing it automatically without thought in her head, and sure enough, she was standing before Columbia once more. Just as she had been the day before. All by her self. She felt entitled to have a single tear roll down her cheek as her throat turned weak and her heart ached.

"Goodbye Elizabeth." She spoke aloud to the quiet.

* * *

><p><em>"I can see all the doors. And what's behind all the doors. And behind one of them... incredibly. I see him."<em>

Jack looked so... clear. That was Elizabeth's chief thought as she beheld the eventuality of what she had set in motion. Clear and perfect clarity; there were no more doubts, no more conflicts, no more uncertainty. She knew all the answers now, and it was good.

She saw the bathysphere ascend to the surface, saw the Little Sisters behold him with slight apprehension that turned to acceptance. She saw little Sally.

And then she saw little Sally proper, holding her hand as she felt the cold surface of the floor behind her, with her back to Rapture, and the gaping wound in her head, with her head opening out down her face. A Big Daddy groaned in the distance. All was as it should be. Elizabeth smiled, genuinely and without regrets. She felt her head drop, as her last moments of life were ended. There was nothing like it.


End file.
